Lord.Sorasen
2012-06-07, 03:58 PM
So, I've recently begun running the Pathfinder Campaign "Serpent's Skull" (as in one week ago recently.) I've been DMing on an off for a while now, but I'm still fairly terrible, and running prewritten campaigns seem to present their own challenges.
Has anyone else run this adventure before? Any advice one can give to me before it becomes too late?
Let me give some information: It might be important!
We have 5 members (not including myself) who have all read the player's guide to the campaign and have made characters accordingly. I can post their statblocks if it helps but right now I'm going to not. Only two of the players have ever played Pathfinder or D&D before, and them only twice... Actually, none of the players have ever played a tabletop game. But they're excited and willing to read things and learn things. For character creation I used 15 point buy as recommended by the book. I worry slightly that 5 people will make the campaign too easy, but I figure dividing the experience 5 ways should balance it just very slightly, and also figure that with a new, more casual group, there's nothing wrong with a bit of a handicap. With the exception of one of our players, they seem more into roleplay than combat anyway (whoops, I guess a prewritten campaign is pretty bad for that.)
I have run one session so far: we completed character creation, spent some time talking on the boat, had the wreck, fought some seascorpions, and then went to the location of the ship. I made an error already in not realizing that Sasha was supposed to keep the Red Mantis Heritage a secret: I let the artwork with the tattoo exposed cloud my judgement. I'm thinking I'll refluff it so that she's open about the Red Mantis but in denial about no longer really being a part.
Anway, I'm just looking for any information that can be given! I'll update this regularly as we get a little further... And probably start making a campaign journal as well for the sake of entertainment and future advice.
Thanks in advanced!
Has anyone else run this adventure before? Any advice one can give to me before it becomes too late?
Let me give some information: It might be important!
We have 5 members (not including myself) who have all read the player's guide to the campaign and have made characters accordingly. I can post their statblocks if it helps but right now I'm going to not. Only two of the players have ever played Pathfinder or D&D before, and them only twice... Actually, none of the players have ever played a tabletop game. But they're excited and willing to read things and learn things. For character creation I used 15 point buy as recommended by the book. I worry slightly that 5 people will make the campaign too easy, but I figure dividing the experience 5 ways should balance it just very slightly, and also figure that with a new, more casual group, there's nothing wrong with a bit of a handicap. With the exception of one of our players, they seem more into roleplay than combat anyway (whoops, I guess a prewritten campaign is pretty bad for that.)
I have run one session so far: we completed character creation, spent some time talking on the boat, had the wreck, fought some seascorpions, and then went to the location of the ship. I made an error already in not realizing that Sasha was supposed to keep the Red Mantis Heritage a secret: I let the artwork with the tattoo exposed cloud my judgement. I'm thinking I'll refluff it so that she's open about the Red Mantis but in denial about no longer really being a part.
Anway, I'm just looking for any information that can be given! I'll update this regularly as we get a little further... And probably start making a campaign journal as well for the sake of entertainment and future advice.
Thanks in advanced!